Selecting wire-rope assemblies: expert advice from the Bergen Cable team

Bergen is a valuable source of wire rope.

Bergen Cable has an unsurpassed reputation in international industry for its lineup of cable solutions. The company is also a major source of wire rope, which is similar to cable in some ways. It is important to consider certain factors when choosing wire rope. As a team of veteran experts in these products, Bergen provides plenty of valuable tips to customers on how to get the most out of wire rope.

Appropriate features for repeat use

According to the Bergen Cable crew, a business should consider several critical factors when embarking on selecting a type of wire rope. It is crucial to evaluate the relative importance of these criteria and pick a solution with features that are most appropriate for the application and repeat use.

The following four factors are most important, according to Bergen:

• Abrasive wear – Abrasion resistance depends on size, carbon and manganese content, heat treatment of outer wires, and construction. Larger outer wires with less flexible construction withstand abrasion more effectively than do finer outer wires of more flexible rope, and high carbon and manganese boost strength.
• Fatigue – Fatigue failure can result from the propagation of small cracks under repeated application of bending loads. This occurs when wire rope functions over relatively small drums or sheaves. Repeated bending and straightening of individual wires creates fatigue. Early fatigue can be prevented with sheaves and drums of appropriate size and a very flexible rope.
• Safety – The safety factor of wire rope equals the ratio of the weight it can hold to that of the full working load. This factor also depends on operational speed, shock load, the fittings used to secure the rope ends, rope length, the number and sizes of sheaves and drums and their locations, the cases of corrosion and abrasion, and other criteria.
• Strength – Wire rope is often subjected to direct tension, acceleration, shock loads, bending, several simultaneous forces, and other stresses. Choosing wire rope of the appropriate strength (as determined by size, grade, and construction) helps to minimize the effects of these stresses.

To learn more, contact Bergen.

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